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International Women’s Day - 8th March 2023

With International Women’s Day (#IWD2023) approaching the Sixtwo team reflected on what the day means to them.

Kate, CEO: 

“For me, IWD begins at home. I’ve been incredibly lucky in that throughout my life I’ve been surrounded by truly accessible role models of women and men, who, whether at home, at school or in the work place, have worked hard to champion gender equality and even the playing field. There have been times in my own career when gender inequality has come from nowhere and smacked me in the face, but each time, being able to look to that support network and those examples has been fundamental to rebuilding my confidence. 

Though we have come a long way on these issues, there is still a huge hill to climb. The challenges for working women are much more complex and deep seated than people often realise and the pace of change is still too slow. That said, I know the barriers that my mother and my grandmothers hit in their day to day lives are much higher than the ones we face today and watching my own little girl skip to school today with her head held high gives me great hope for the future.” 

 

Sam, Head of Web: 

“International Women’s Day reminds me how far women have come since we were first allowed to vote in 1928 (UK), but also how far we still must go, to fully incorporate the sentiment IWD has for every day, not just the one. Personally, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by influential leaders (men and women) who display equality and value skills and passion over gender. I have also been unfortunate to meet and work with leaders who still carry biases and introduce toxicity into a team. Both experiences have taught me lessons and shaped me into the woman I am today.  Right now, I’m proud to be part of a team who do not discriminate against each other based on gender but also I’m proud to be a woman in the Tech industry which currently represents 19%.

 

Phil, Strategy Specialist

“Our differences are our greatest strength. Bringing together men and women in an inclusive workplace drives creativity and innovation, leading to better products and services.”

 

Lisa, Project Manager:  

“I would like to give you a statistic: According to Lawyer Monthly, between 30-60% of menopausal females will suffer extreme symptoms over the course of four to eight years, which include but are not limited to hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and ‘brain fog.’ 

Thankfully, I haven’t experienced any symptoms and hopefully it stays this way. I do have friends that are suffering and unfortunately silently, as this is still a taboo subject that employers do not wish to discuss.  

As a woman in business, I have seen some evidence of change over the last few years and with celebrities speaking out and bringing the menopause into the public eye companies have started taking note 

It’s clear that addressing menopause in the workplace is not only imperative for gender equality, but companies that do so will benefit from happy and appreciated employees as well as reaping the rewards of a large demographic of talent.”

 Menopausal women can be overlooked in the workplace, but progress is underway (internationalwomensday.com) 

 

Mike, Senior Designer: 

“We like to think the playing field has levelled, but the reality is we’re not there yet. Over the years my wife has had to deal with issues such as ‘Manterruptions’ and ‘Mansplaining’, phenomenon I suspect many guys don’t even realise is a thing it’s so subconscious, even if meant with the best of intentions. International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate our female colleagues and make sure the whole team feel they’re heard and respected.”

 

Lucian, Senior Developer: 

“It brings me joy to see that the tech sector/industry is becoming more and more open for women. It gives me a lot of hope for the future of my daughter, giving her more opportunities.

 

Dan, Developer: 

“I have watched my other half go into, and excel in, a predominantly male based surgery specialism. At the start of her career this caused her to be passed over for many operations with the old school mentality of her seniors. This never stopped her and she worked twice as hard as anyone else to become a successful surgeon. Now she is coming to the end of her training, which will make her a consultant, she has taken students under her wing to help them progress. She now has a group of students with a higher ratio of women and I think she has played her part in inspiring other women into this competitive male dominated field. IWD allows us all to recognise pioneering women that are still outnumbered in their day to day work environment. There is promise of a more even playing field in the future.”

Women in Surgery — Royal College of Surgeons (rcseng.ac.uk) 

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